I find it amazing that everyone has a different emotional makeup and disposition.
Some people seem to have endless time to read anything and everything and not be affected by it. They can take that information that they have accumulated and run into FB battles to engage in discourse about faith and beliefs. Sometimes civil but oftentimes not. FB conversations like love are a battlefield.
The Knowledge You Seek
It’s great to be challenged in faith, if what you consume in your online and book reading makes you grow in love and charity towards God and Neighbor.
But if that knowledge you seek after makes you into a bitter angry grrr type of Catholic, what good is that to anybody? I’m talking about the type of Catholic who is ready to start a holy war on his neighbor for not living up to the standard God has revealed to him personally.
“I’ve come to this conclusion, so that means everyone else should too.”
Instead of loving and evangelizing your neighbor as a missionary you become the Terminator ready to destroy that threat to the church.
Also, if what you consume makes you doubt what has been revealed to be legit church teaching, that can be a stumbling block to growth in faith and love of God and Neighbor. The reason is because when you work 40 plus hours a week you run out of time to do a lot of things. You need to find time to spend with family, friends, pray and just time to relax and re-energize yourself. You might not have time or energy to read negative hit pieces on the church by your fellow baptized siblings. This means that you have to choose who you read, listen, to and watch when you’re on and offline.
Doubt
I don’t want to listen, read or watch things that will cause me to doubt my faith to the point I consume all my non-working waking hours looking up every objection that is thrown at me. As I said time is limited already and when you have trouble focusing and paying attention and are prone to scrupulosity and anxiety it can consume you with worry and not faith and trust in an already consuming schedule.
I believe in all the Catholic Church has revealed to be true, good and beautiful. I want to continue to learn, consume, understand, write about and live out that Catholic faith. Here are some resources about certain hot topic issues that I have found have helped me to grow in that understanding of what has been revealed to be authentic Catholic teaching. These are not the only issues out there, but just a few that are brought up often in FB land. I have listed a few objections to certain issues but will not focus too much on them.
What this Post Is
My goal in this particular post is not to engage in debate of or debunking of opposing views. This is catechetical resource for believes who want to learn, expand, be strengthen or be reassured in already established defined Catholic beliefs. I don’t mind challenges or opposing viewpoints in general, but don’t have time for things that cause serious doubt from Catholics who are more Catholic then the pope. If you disagree with what I have listed you can move on to other resources. There are plenty of them to choose from. If you want to look into opposing viewpoints and have the time and emotional disposition to do so, knock yourself out. If you find what I listed below helpful, well Praise God.
Bishop Barron and Dare We Hope?
It seems that anyone in the Church hierarchy who doesn’t preach fire and brimstone and takes the approach of trying to draw people into the faith through intellectual engagement rather than confrontation, is viewed as being nearly heretical to some people. That Bishop Barron is popular with so many average Catholics (and in fact with so many non Catholics) apparently means that he can’t possibly be orthodox enough in his faith. I think that those who are so vehemently against Bishop Barron, are desperately searching for reasons to invalidate everything he has said because they are so consumed by their own idiosyncratic version of Catholic orthodoxy, and reject anything and anyone who doesn’t fit perfectly into that mold. – Paul Adomshick
The purpose of this FAQ page is to provide a one-stop source for honest people looking for clarity on the issue. In particular, our intention is to clarify what Bishop Barron believes about hell, damnation, and salvation, and to confirm that his views are within the confines of orthodox Catholic teaching.
“Dare We Hope?” FAQ page – Word on Fire
Covid-19
A balanced look at the Coronavirus as only Fr. Mike Schmidt could tell.
Another Balanced look at how to deal with Covid-19 as only ZDoggMD could tell.
Feminism
Catholic and feminist don’t tend to go together, but I truly believe the Catholic Church is the most feminist institution in the world. To be a feminist is to believe that women are beautiful, unique, and equal in dignity to men.
What other group believes women are made in the image of God? That we were commissioned by God himself? That women are capable of raising children in the direst of circumstances, no matter our income or relationship status? Oh, yeah, and Pope John Paul II called us all geniuses. Doesn’t sound like woman-hating to me. The Church is absolutely filled to the brim with examples of believing in the importance of womanhood. The world needs so much more than your impeccable cookie-baking skills or your ability to quote scripture from memory. It needs more than your hashtags. It needs the resilience, strength, and true beauty given to you by God.
Claire Swinarski, Girl, Arise! (2019)
Harry Potter
The main feature in this link is a panel discussion given at the 37th Annual Chesterton Conference (Kansas City, KS) on August 2, 2019 on “Catholics and Harry Potter”.
The panelists included:
Brandon Vogt, author and content director at Word on Fire Catholic Ministries
Nancy Carpentier Brown, author of The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
Julian Ahlquist, founding faculty member of Chesterton Academy
Harry Potter Resources for Catholics
Also Check out…
Is Harry Potter & Related Fantasy Literature Evil? by Dave Armstrong
Liturgy
Fr. Dwight Longenecker gives us some reasons to like the Novus Ordo Mass.
TWELVE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE NOVUS ORDO MASS
For some Catholics, you can’t have a post that praises the Novus Ordo, so someone wrote a rebuttal, not about how great the Latin Mass is, but a post called “Twelve Reasons Not to Prefer the Novus Ordo.” But fortunate for us Fr. Longenecker also wrote this.
TWELVE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE LATIN MASS
Pope Francis
The Pope can be confusing, his words ambiguous, his thoughts incomplete. There are many rumors, suspicions, and accusations that the current Pontiff is trying to change Catholic teaching. So, for the record, here is Pope Francis On…
Mark Mallett, Pope Francis On… – The Now Word
Why is Pope Francis quiet when he is attacked?
When a person is attacked in a way that “cannot be clarified,” then that person’s best response is to keep silent. Truth will eventually come to the surface, because the “weakness” shown by this person inevitably emboldens the Devil, who will then manifest himself, revealing the evil motivations he had concealed until that time.
In other words, by letting the accuser talk, the person who suffers in silence will give this accuser enough rope to hang himself. Let him talk. Sooner or later he will reveal the inconsistencies and lies in his accusations.
Pedro Gabriel Why the Vatican is silent on Viganò (July 7, 2020) Where Peter Is
Same Sex Attraction
The pastoral care of homosexual persons (people with SSA/LGBTQ…take your pick) has become a topic of increasing interest for many pastors, theologians, and ministers in the Church. This in part is a response to the secular culture’s push to embrace the normalcy of homosexuality, and has been further propelled forward by Pope Francis’ insistence on serving people living in irregular situations. Two recent books by Fr. James Martin SJ and Daniel Mattson have tried to tackle this question, albeit in rather distinct, if not opposing, ways.
Stephen G. Adubato, James Martin vs. Dan Mattson on Gay Catholics: Accompanying Each Person According to Their Needs (March 8, 2018) Cracks in Postmoderity @ Patheos Catholic
Social Justice
It’s true. There are more than the mere five one again and again hears proclaimed from the rooftops: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, and same-sex marriage. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith lists more. I bet you did not know that.
In the same way, one must consider society’s protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of slavery (drug abuse and prostitution, for example). In addition, there is the right to religious freedom and the development of an economy that is at the service of the human person and of the common good, with [Brace yourself now.] respect for social justice, the principles of human solidarity and subsidiarity, according to which “the rights of all individuals, families, and organizations and their practical implementation must be acknowledged.”
There is it is! Social justice! A non-negotiable! I mean, to just imagine! Get a drink of water if you need to before we go on. The Church will still be here.
But it seems that we must add, to our five favorite non-negotiables, four more: social justice, peace, elimination of slavery in all its forms, and education.
There are nine of them.
Scott Eric Alt, Social Justice is Also a Non-Negotiable (October 3, 2016) To Give a Defense @ Patheos Catholic
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EVERYBODY INTERESTED MARK SHEA’S NEW BOOK ‘THE CHURCH’S BEST-KEPT SECRET’! A book on Social Justice
Vatican 2
I plan on doing a whole post just on Vatican 2 resources at some point.
If you type in google Vatican 2 FAQ you get a few different options.
You get negativity like this…
1. What is Vatican II?
Vatican II is a disastrous council which was called by John XXIII much to the surprise of everyone, as the Church was in amazing health and thriving at the time.
And then you get stuff like this…
1. What is Vatican II?
Vatican II, or the Second Vatican Council, was the twenty-first (and most recent) ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Ecumenical councils, which go back to the Council of Nicaea in 325, are gatherings of bishops from around the world, under the leadership of the pope, to authoritatively discuss and define Church doctrine and discipline.
Vatican II FAQs – Word on Fire
This is the resource I recommend and stick to because it is faithful and not rebellious against the teaching authority of the church.
On Voting….
This seems to be the hottest issue going on in the Catholic online world at the moment. You get such a variety of thought about this topic, so I present both sides of the issue as they are both legit for a Catholic to hold.
Reasons not to vote Democrat
If all a pro abortion choice president or politician wants to do is provide programs that help pregnant women, that would be tolerable for giving them the vote.
But the danger is that behind the talk of social programs and taking care of the health of the poor, there are sinister plans to not only force us to pay for abortion, but to force us, little by little, to keep quiet and not complain.
In light of these draconian measures to use government to force a pro-abort thinking on the public, and to force the public to pay for and accept a pro-abort culture, I cannot see a proportionate reason for giving a vote to pro-abort politicians in the upcoming election.- Fr. Angel Sotelo
If a person would immediately rule out a Neo-Nazi on ethical grounds, why is it that they wouldn’t do so for a person who believes in the abortion of babies through all nine months of pregnancy and even after? What is the difference of principle?
On the other hand, would anyone actually say that they would vote for a Neo-Nazi because they advocated other good policies, such as government-paid daycare, stipends for poor pregnant women, welfare programs that help poor families, opposition to wars, etc.?: and that they were not voting for the gas chambers and the bigotry when they did so, but for these other compassionate policies?
Dave Armstrong, Question to Pro-Life Catholics Who Vote Pro-Abort (August 26, 2020) Biblical Evidence for Catholicism @ Patheos Catholic
See Also
Bishop: Vote for candidates who ‘respect life, morality, marriage, family’ and ‘our basic freedoms’
Full text: Sister Dede Byrne’s speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention
Reasons not to Vote Republican
On November 3rd, I am going to go to the polls and vote against the party that has driven abortions up and caused thousands of other preventable deaths as well. I don’t like the democratic candidates hardly at all. I can’t stand Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. but in my estimation, they’ll kill fewer people. And then, I’ll spend the other 525599 minutes of my year finding ways to help people that will probably be a lot more effective than voting.
Mary Pezzulo, Save Lives or Punish People? Which is Pro-Life? (August 19, 2020) Steel Magnificat @ Patheos Catholic
What are “other reasons” why a Catholic may choose to vote for a pro-choice candidate? The Catholic may live in a political system in which there are only two major political parties and the field of candidates will be limited to only two who will have a viable chance of winning an election. There may be a scenario in which one of the candidates supports abortion rights but is otherwise well-qualified for office while the other claims to oppose abortion but is otherwise manifestly unfit for office. If a Catholic chooses to vote for the qualified candidate because he is able to responsibly discharge the duties of office, and not because of his support for abortion, then the Catholic is engaging in the “remote material cooperation” for which Ratzinger and the CDF allowed was morally permissible
Michelle Arnold, A Catholic Apologist’s Guide to Voting as a Catholic (August 25, 2020) Michelle Arnold @ Patheos Catholic
See Also
The Church does not tell us whom we can and can’t vote for, and here’s why
Single-Issue Voting Vs. The Common Good
My personal conclusion…
Thou Shall Not Judge How a Catholic Votes
Women Priests
I think what Fr. Casey Cole has to say on this topic is reasonable and within church teaching and is not as rigid as some might think.
Yoga
What if we could do that? What if we could enter into any practice, regardless of how Pagan it is? And by doing so, show that we bring to the table an even deeper experience by connecting the Sun Salutation to the Son of God. Or our Child’s Pose becomes the pose of complete submission, like that of a little child as Jesus says, a Child of God.
Our Mountain Top could be like that of a Mt. Tabor. There are so many opportunities to open ourselves to a deeper experience and by doing so offer a real witness that we’re here to connect and experience what others are connected into. Then, instead of being on the outside waiting for others to come to us, we could truly enter in and begin experiencing the love for others that Jesus says is essential to our expressing our love of God.
Leo C Brown, Will Yoga send you to hell? 11/6/2017 Cathowist
That’s it for now.
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